G&L: Help me "get" the hype

[andruca]

I owned an American L-1505 and never got the hype. I already had my first StingRay5 at the time so had the oportunity to extensively A/B them. As much as I've always read people saying the 1505 is the logical evolution to a SR5 I strongly disagree. First of all the electronics hum annoyingly (didn't come shielded from factory -back then, I insist, maybe now they do-, had to shield it myself and even then you could still hear the hum). Then the onboard EQ is goofy (and I'm being generous) as in real life it provides for just a treble boost. Tone isn't too bad, still I prefer the SR5's (WAY more authority), which also offers more pickup options, that do produce in fact different sounds, much unlike the 1505's switch which I strongly suspected wasn't even wired before opening the control cavity (it was, and still it did wack for me tonewise). Last, but not least, playability was light years away, in comparison the neck on that thing was terribly thick (and probably Fender like, which I don't like much apart from Geddy Jazzes), which made thru-body stringing a no-no from the beginning for me. Still, I put effort in using it as my main bass for more than a year, then gave up and sold it in deep frustration. Checked a friend's late 2000's american L-2500 not long ago and it still had ridiculous electronics and playability still sucked, didn't hum as much as I recall mine humming. Liked the tone more with the 2 pickups 'tho. But no, I never got the hype, yet hear many praise them so I simply think they're not for me. Happened the same to me with Ashdown amps and cabs, some people hear heaven out of them, I just keep hearing dead sounding fart.

 

[Max Blasto]

Get the hype? There is no hype. Compared to Fender, or even Music Man, G&L really has no hype.

The best way to understand it is to see the above three companies as a spectrum in the career of Leo Fender. Thanks, to Leo, they all make terrific basses. Each of them different, but all part of a continuum.

You like Fender Jazz basses. Ok, cool, there are a lot of other folks that do to. I like the American Deluxe V. Do I like it more than some similar models by other makes? No. Lots of people make great J type basses these days. G&L does too. The JB and JB-2 are great. So is the MJ series.

Things I like about the G&L basses:
I gravitate to the L series, as they are more aggressive than the M series. Ms are great too, but for me the Ls and the ASATs are the G&L sin qua non. Very hot and aggressive pickups, very versatile electronics, super cool fit and finish. Ergonomics are the same as a Fender. For me the main thing is that the tonal variety is in a league way past any Fender around. Music Man basses can answer this call too, especially the Bongo. But the key here is that if you have an L series, you have more tonal options that you can possibly find useful. M series are the same but more "polite" as they say. Most L series fans love the K option which allows you to convert your humbucker pickups to single coils (meaning you can get a Jazz bass setup in two possible configs on top of the huge range of sounds that the humbuckers have without the coil tap.)

Things I don't like about the G&L Basses:
Well, I can't say I don't "like" it, but I would prefer that the string spacing on the L-2500 was 19mm. I can deal with the 17mm.
I sure wish there were a 24 fret neck. I know, some people laugh, but I really do use the upper register.
I wish the ASAT came in a 5string.

In a nutshell, If you like J basses, then the JBs, MJs, Ls, and Ms are all capable of getting you there. The SBs I find are more for Precision fans. The ASATs are just as cool as the Ls, but the ergonomics are different and you only get 4 bangers. What all of the G&L basses can do for you is play just as well and get perfectly good J tones plus much more.

 

[BigBigGuy44]

I tried to love G&L because of their options and rave reviews on this site. Had three of them anf felt like I had to fight with each. Didn't take long to realize they weren't for me.

If you buy one then later decide it isn't for you, be prepared to take a bath.

 

[Doctor J]

I got into G&L just a few years ago after playing mostly Fender types for the last 25 years. I was curious to see what they were about and picked up a L2000 from the classifieds here. To play it, it feels familiar, your hands know where to go and what to do, no surprises there. It's solid as a rock, well built and you just have no worries about it. It's built like a tank. Tonally, I think it has the older tones in there, if you know how to go about it. It also has a whole plethora of tonal options which can be a bit intimidating at first, but it covers a lot of ground well. Where it really shines, for me, is those MFD pickups. They have got serious balls, which I love. It's not for everybody, but what is?

I think where maybe it falters a bit, in a lot of peoples minds, is that it does too much. It's not like there's a classic L2000 tone people can mentally latch on to. Some people love the thump, some love the active sizzle and it does both (and everything in between) equally well. Personally, I like that, but I understand why some folks would be discouraged and opt for simplicity instead.

Since then I've also picked up an El Toro and an old mahogany bodied L1000. The L1000, in particular, is a stunningly good instrument. It's hard to believe that a passive, single pickup instrument can do so much, but it's just an engineering and musical work of art. Again, it fits in hand, is built to last and the little details have been considered and looked after. It's one of my favourite basses, comfortably. Again, it's not for everyone, but I feel I "get" the hype, I understand what they were going for and I really dig it.

There's nothing wrong with the traditional designs and some people are happy with that and rightly so, they are great designs. There's no harm, however, just spending a bit of time with a G&L. They're familiar old birds but it takes a bit of time to get to really know them. They're not the kind of instruments you can really get the most out of in 5 minutes in a noisey shop. I get a kick out of the engineering journey which started with a P and ended with a L1000. In my mind, it's well worth it.

 

[hsech]

I've owned a few G&L basses and was never that impressed with them. That is not a slam against G&L, I'm just more fond of Fender. On the other hand in a previous life when I played guitar, I loved G&L ASAT guitars especially the ASAT Special and ASAT 3.

 

[danosix]

Ok guys, talk me into a G&L. I hear excellent things about them, but the ones I've heard only somewhat make me lust for one. What am I not understanding? Or hearing?

I am aware that Fender himself declared this line of basses as his best, but... Why? What flaws were present in his personal line, more specifically, the American Standard, that were changed in G&L?

The whole G&L vs Fender thing is not intended to be a flame post at all. I'm just looking for my first high-end bass and I really want to get into the heads of those who play them.

I am primarily a jazz bassist. After that, I do some blues, a bit of rock, and other things. But my favorite style of music is jazz, so that's what I need. Additionally, your help on a wood type for fretboards would be great.

Right now I'm leaning toward an American Standard jazz bass, but the L2500 also has my attention. Help me! I appreciate you guys and gals.

I LOVE my G&L - but that doesn't mean YOU'RE going to.
They have a sound of their own that is different than Fenders, so really the comparison is based entirely on the Fact that Leo created them - he also created the Jaguar and Jazzmaster after the Strat and Tele and no one would suggest they supercede them.
If you have tried them with YOUR rig and don't like them - they are probably not for you - given you say you play jazz - I would tend to say they probably aren't - while they are very flexible and versatile, the sounds that make them special are pretty gritty and klanky - which most jazzers don't want.
Having done all the qualifications - you need to REALLY play with a G&L for a while to see if you like it because they have a LOT of sounds in them and that means you may have been playing in the tones that don't suit you while your perfect tone is lurking a switch or two away.
For an aggressive sound use Active on, series, both pickups. For a more "mellow" tone - use parallel, both pickups, active off. For a vaguely P-ish neck pickup, series, active on. - anyway - there are a LOT of sounds so before you write them off - spend some time with them.

But don't assume just because something is popular (even if its popularity is warranted) that it will be the right thing for you.

Also - beware of the tone controls - they are passive controls (cut only) so I tend to recommend full-on - this does not make it a non-active bass as some people assert - just passive controls because most people find passive controls more "musical" - but there is a huge bass and treble boost built in to preamp when it is engaged.

 

[Gravedigger Dav]

I've only had one. It was an early 90s SB2, a PJ configuration. I really liked it. I would still have it had I not gotten into one of those "If we can't eat it or put it in the gas tanks, sell it." situations.

 

[ultra60]

I'm currently in a G&L phase, being primarily a Fender P or J player. It's hard to say one is better than the other. But I do believe the G&L build gets a little more attention to detail. I just got a brand new L2000, and right out of the box the only thing it needed was a new case, lol... this, since the shipper must have dropped the box, thus cracking the case. The bass is beautiful in every way, and played very well at practice last night.

I like what appears to be a scaled down body with the L2000, over the Fender P or J. It hangs, feels, and plays right. It does not need anything.

I always wanted to like the Stingray. It's such a sexy looking bass, but the tone is not there for me. After getting a couple G&L's, they appear to be what I wanted the Stingray to be... looks, and a tone I like.

Still looking for an SB-2, but thinking going to have to order one, since I want the 1 5/8" neck that is on my L2000.

 

[mantaraya]

Solid construction, fine attention to detail, quality fit & finish, and multiple dynamic tones available.

G.A.S at this morning already for me! Should start quitting Talkbass early morning! ejjejejej What a color. Unbelievable

 

[M.R. Ogle]

I'm a tinkerer, and have built, re-built and upgraded electronics in LOTS of basses.

I used to live in SoCal, where I had lots of music stores to go to, and have had the opportunity to try/buy all kinds of pickups.
So when I built a few basses for myself, I ordered G&L MFD's through Buffalo Brothers. In my opinion, they are simply the "biggest" sounding passive pickups.

 

[Killed_by_Death]

I'm of the same opinion, along with Fender's humbuckers that they put in their Blacktop series.

 

[Needenaneden]

I've had a G&L LB-100 for almost two years now. It satisfied all my p bass after searching for years for the perfect Fender p bass. A couple weeks ago I picked up a G&L JB-2. It's comfortable, easy to play, lightweight and can get so growly while maintaining some thump. I have gigged with it already a couple of times and i was very happy with it. Time will tell if it satisfies my jazz bass gas.

The bridges on G&Ls are solid and allow their basses to resonate so well.

I'm not against fenders...just never found a keeper.

 

[bassrich]

Solid construction, fine attention to detail, quality fit & finish, and multiple dynamic tones available.

OK so off topic but this says G,L For Guitars by Leo with the trebel cleff. Is this the real name or is there now a G person making it G&L?

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I think it was George and Leo, can't remember who George was....

 

[2saddleslab]

OK so off topic but this says G,L For Guitars by Leo with the trebel cleff. Is this the real name or is there now a G person making it G&L?

I think it was George and Leo, can't remember who George was....

George Fullerton, early and longtime associate of Leo's.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

George Fullerton! Can't believe I forgot that. Those guys were the Masters. I haven't seen a more perfect industrial object than a strat, even after all these years. The G&L line was their attempt to "fix" what they saw as shortcomings in the various Fender guitars, I think they succeeded, but of course, opinions vary.

 

[mpdd]

FYI thebasshang.com has g&l demo videos too now

 

[2saddleslab]

George Fullerton! Can't believe I forgot that. Those guys were the Masters. I haven't seen a more perfect industrial object than a strat, even after all these years. The G&L line was their attempt to "fix" what they saw as shortcomings in the various Fender guitars, I think they succeeded, but of course, opinions vary.

Many years ago, while investigating a 1952 P bass, I looked up George's number and gave him a call. He was very gracious with his time and knowledge [even though I called during breakfast]. It was a thrill to talk to him.

 

[metron]

I find them generic and bland sounding. If u already don't like them you're not gonna fall in love with one. Spend ur money elsewhere.

Don't necessarily disagree with the latter part but generic and bland? They are as distinct sounding as any bass out there.

I have heard over the years that some struggle with understanding the controls which might lead to not quite getting what the basses are about.

 

[dtsamples]

I agree with Captain Howdy. It took me a while to get the hang of the controls. For instance, the Jaco tone requires bridge pup only, passive mode, passive treble rolled all the way off, passive bass at like 5-10%, and volume at 80-85%. Also, volume in general should be run at 80-85% most of the time, which can throw people.